


an endless road to rediscover

by plotholes_and_paradoxes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (eventually) - Freeform, Because Endgame sucked, Loki trains Wanda, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, So we're diverging from the beginning of Infinity War, Thor gets injured, Why? Because I'm god of this fragment of reality and no one can take this away from me., and the Avengers are not the happiest about this, enemies to friends ?, maybe more like enemies to mutual-not-loathing, so Loki moves into Avengers Tower to heal him, while also ruling New Asgard as regent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-02-09 14:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18639856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plotholes_and_paradoxes/pseuds/plotholes_and_paradoxes
Summary: The Avengers are expecting expecting many things when they go to fight Thanos in Wakanda. They're expecting loss, bloodshed, and some quips. What they're not expecting is for Loki, Gamora, and Nebula to come sprawling out of a portal and kill the Mad Titan for them.But with Thor gravely injured in the battle, the Avengers have to accept the God of Lies when he decides that he's staying in the Tower until Thor is healed. And maybe, just maybe, they'll learn something about each other in the meantime.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Endgame ruined quite a few narrative arks. I intend to fix that. 
> 
> I'm erasing quite a bit of Infinity War. In this universe, Thanos killed off around half of the Asgardians in the escape ship (and Loki) and then went to Earth to wreak havoc. All of the Avengers are fighting in Wakanda. The snap never happens because it's kinda dumb. Everything else will fall into place as we go!

Tony was not having a great day. Scratch that, he was having a pretty awful day. Of course, any day that starts with a purple alien wielding the most powerful rock collection in the universe and ends with the near death of one of your most powerful allies is not exactly the groundwork for a great day. 

The Avengers and a group of Wakandan warriors are fighting off Thanos and his horde of generic-looking alien monsters when a gust of wind spirals around the field and green portal opens on the middle of the battlefield.

(Tony will forever argue that they had it handled, even if they clearly did not. One day Loki will roll his eyes at these assertions and Thor will laugh that booming laugh. But that day will not come for quite a long time and right now all we have is a group of heroes who are doing their best to fight the most powerful foe they’ve ever faced.) 

When the wind settles, Loki and two very scary women are standing with their weapons drawn. One is green with silver lines around her face while the other seems like a patchwork of blue skin and metal accents. 

(Later, Tony will learn that their names are Gamora and Nebula. They were Thanos’s children, in some definitions of the word. Not in the affection and hugs definition. They probably wouldn’t be so excited to cut off his head if that were the case.) 

“Why is Rock of Ages here? I thought Thor said he died,” Tony curses through the comms while circling Thanos. 

“He was dead,” Thor says gruffly through the comms, unable to comment further as a hit from Thanos knocks him to the ground. 

Luckily for the Avengers (and probably the rest of the universe as well), the trio goes straight for Thanos, ignoring the heroes. The three seem to know each others’ fighting patterns perfectly. They dodge and slash and fight in perfect harmony, never giving Thanos an ounce of respite. 

“Is anyone else confused as to what’s going on here?” Bruce asks, but none of the other Avengers have a response for him. That, or they are too busy fighting off the horde of other aliens to give Bruce an answer. 

“I’m going to kill him,” Clint says with an oddly flat voice. He points his bow directly at Loki’s heart. The arrows haven’t been working on Thanos but they may be able to take Loki down. 

Natasha makes eye contact with Clint and shakes her head. If Loki tries hurting them, they can kill him later. Not now, when he may be able to stop Thanos. Clint sighs and aims his bow at the ground, still ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. 

Suddenly, the battlefield goes still as Gamora and Nebula rush Thanos and Loki holds him still with green magic. 

“You took everything from us,” Nebula says, holding a sword to Thanos’s throat. “Childhoods, families. Half of my own fucking body!” 

“You killed my people,” Gamora said, mirroring Nebula’s stance. “You killed me.”

The two scream and swing their weapons. Moments later, Thanos is just another casualty of war, sprawled out on the dirt ground.

It will take a couple more minutes before the Avengers realize that Thor isn’t getting up, either.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers are not happy with Loki being back. They're even less happy when they realize that Loki intends to take full control over healing Thor. 
> 
> (Did anyone hear someone whisper "Loki living in Avenger's tower?" No, just me? I guess I have to do everything myself.)

Loki teleports to Thor the second he’s sure that Thanos is truly dead. He sinks down to the ground and pokes Thor’s immobile body. 

“Come on, Thor,” Loki whispers to the body that is much too still and much too quiet. “I promised you the sun would shine on us again, wake up.” 

Loki’s hands glow green, but whatever he’s about to do is cut short by dozens of weapons pointed at him. 

“Stand down, Loki.” Captain America says. His shield is up and he’s flanked by Avengers and Wakandan soldiers alike. 

Loki smirks. “Why would I do something like that?” 

Loki turns back to Thor, green magic enveloping Thor’s body. Clint shoots at Loki but it bounces off of the green barrier that has formed around the two. 

“If you would mind not making it harder for me to use magic right now, that’d be great,” Loki snaps at the heros. 

“Why would we do something like that, Reindeer Games,” says Tony. 

Loki rolls his eyes at the nickname. “Probably because I’m trying to stabilize Thor’s five broken ribs and internal bleeding.”

“Like we’d believe that,” Clint laughs. 

“Believe whatever you want, it doesn’t change the truth.” Loki replies, eyes flicking back and forth between the magic being woven around Thor and the warriors around him. 

“Like you know anything about truth,” Tony jokes.

“You have to know the truth to craft a lie, do you not?” Loki looks almost bemused, as if they’re having a lovely chat and they’re not in the middle of a battlefield with weapons pointed at him from all directions. 

“That makes both a lot and no sense, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a war criminal.” Steve says.

Loki raises a thin brow. “I’ve been granted a full pardon from Asgard, so good luck with that.” He looks around before stopping on Bruce. “Isn’t that right, Bruce?”

Bruce looks vaguely uncomfortable. “Yeah, he was.” 

Loki gets up and staggers a little, ignoring everyone's tightened grips on their weapons. “I’ve fought by Thor’s side for thousands of years and I’m the strongest seidrmadr in the Nine Realms. I’m the best bet we have to heal Thor.”

“Yeah, we can’t let you do that,” Tony says. “We have some of the best doctors on staff, Thor’s going to be fine with us.”

Loki shakes his head. “I don’t think you understand. Thor is not going anywhere I don’t want him to.” 

“Yes, he is,” says Steve. 

Loki smiles, a touch charming and much too sharp. “I have died for Thor, multiple times. I’m not going to entrust him to your care.” 

“He’s coming back to the Tower,” Tony says. 

Loki shrugs, “Then so am I.” 

“Absolutely not! You threw me out of a window in my own home!” Tony near screams. 

Loki smirks. “Well, seeing as the line of succession of the Asgardian throne falls to me until Thor wakes, I have to argue it is in the best interest of the Asgardian people that Thor stays within my sight and protection.” 

The Avengers realize that their lives may have just gotten a lot more difficult.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Steve talk about how Loki's going to heal Thor. That is, until Loki feels the need to point a knife at Steve. (Not exactly the best way to start off their truce.)

“What are you doing?” Steve stares quizzically at Loki’s hands, which had not stopped moving most of the helicarrier ride to the Tower. Even now, in the makeshift hospital they had set up on an empty floor specifically for Loki and Thor, they were still moving. 

“Making healing stones,” says Loki. At Steve’s even-more-confused look, Loki sighs.

“Here.” He hands Steve the stone. It’s smooth and round and it has carvings that seem almost embossed into it. It feels warm in Steve’s hands - not in temperature but as if it’s singing or humming with power. 

“What’s it for?”

Loki stares at him like he’s an idiot. And, okay, Steve has to admit that asking what the use of a healing stone is to someone who is trying to heal Thor is maybe not his brightest move. 

“I’m going to work under the assumption that you are asking me why I am making healing stones and not working directly on Thor,” says Loki, who is clearly being more generous than he wants to be. “Healing stones are conductors. When someone has the ability to wield sedir, even if it is a mostly latent ability such as in Thor’s case, that latent sedir can cling to the seidrmadr who is doing the healing and try to consume all the sedir it can access. This can eventually endanger both the healer, as it can drain their entire core if they are not careful, and the person being healed, as it overflows their system and burns their veins from the inside out.” 

Steve swallows uncomfortably. "What are the symbols for?" He asks, hoping to change the topic.

“They are a bit more superstition,” Loki smiles, almost sadly. “They are Vanir in origin and used to be considered quite pasé. However, nowadays you would be hard pressed to find a seidrmadr who does not use runes on healing stones. The runes are also used on, 'good luck charms,' I believe you call them? They can be for anything - love, wealth, wisdom. These particular ones are most commonly associated with protection.”

“That’s interesting.” Steve goes to pat Loki on the shoulder. Unfortunately, his fingers end up brushing against Loki’s neck.

In a flash, Steve is pinned to a wall with a dagger to his neck. Loki’s eyes are unfocused and his breaths are coming in short bursts. 

“Loki,” Steve says calmly, though his heart is racing. “Please put that down.”

Loki blinks rapidly but before dropping his arm. He takes a step back. 

“I apologize, Rogers. You startled me.” Loki seems to consider saying something more but decides against it.

Steve tries to shake off the feeling of sharp metal against his neck. “Let’s not do that again.” He takes a breath. “Anyway, I had wanted to tell you. We have to go debrief about this whole Thanos debacle, but dinner will be afterwards. You are welcome to come.”

Loki nods. “I’ll be sure to miss it.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony talk to Loki about Thanos, Gamora, and Nebula. Also, Loki's foreboding predictions are foreboding.

“Mr. Odinson, Sir would like you to come down to the living room.”

Loki sighs and stands up from his chair by Thor’s bedside. “May I enquire as to who is speaking?” He asks, adding “also, please do not call me Odinson.” 

“I am JARVIS, one of Mr. Starks artificial intelligences. What would you prefer to be called?”

Loki nods thoughtfully. “Interesting. I did not know that Midgardian science had advanced so. Please call me Silvertongue or Liesmith or Friggason. But not Odinson.”

Loki quiets and speaks mostly to himself. “I have not been an Odinson for quite some time.”

“Alright, Mr. Silvertongue. I would ask again for you to go to the living room, as Sir just requested your presence again.” 

Loki nods. He places another healing stone on Thor’s ribs and binds a strip of cloth around it.

He makes his way downstairs. 

When he gets to the living room, Wanda is practicing levitating a pile of books around and Tony and Steve are sitting on one of the couches, with an empty chair facing it. 

Wanda sees Loki and grabs her book, exiting the room. Loki sits down in the empty chair, smirk playing on his lips.

“Hello, Stark. Rogers.” He nods his head in greeting. 

“Hey Reindeer Games,” Stark continues speaking even though Loki grimaces at the nickname. “If you’re staying in my house, we need to have some ground rules.”

Loki looks slightly annoyed but nods nonetheless. 

“You only have clearance to enter two floors - this one and the one you and Thor are on. This is the communal floor and it is expected that no one in the tower, or on Earth, will come to any harm from you while you’re here. Capiche?” 

Loki nods (again). 

“We also wanted to ask you about what happened with Thanos,” Steve adds.

“You have eyes, Captain. You know exactly what happened.” Loki says sardonically. “Or should Gamora and Nebula have narrated while cutting off the Mad Titan’s head?” 

Steve grimaces slightly. 

“Loki, I know you think being a smartass is entertaining, but you are not the only person in this tower capable of being a complete douche. So, could you please answer the question?” Tony snaps. 

This time Loki smiles, a wide, sharp smile. He learns forward in his chair until his face is uncomfortably close to Tony. “Do not presume to know a thing about me, Stark.” 

“Calm down, you two.” Steve sighs. “Loki, could you at least tell us who Gamora and Nebula are?” 

Loki rolls his eyes but leans back in his chair. “Gamora and Nebula were the Mad Titan’s daughters.” He ignores Tony’s exclamation and continues speaking. “He was, as can be assumed, not the best father. The Mad Titan stole all of his children from planets he destroyed. Nebula looks the way she does because he would make Nebula and Gamora spar when they were children and every time one of them lost, he would replace parts of them with mechanical parts to ‘improve’ them.”

He smiles wryly. “Clearly, Gamora never lost. Nebula did.” He shrugs. 

Steve and Tony stare at him in horror. 

“Eventually, the Mad Titan killed Gamora on his quest for the infinity stones. The Soul Stone requires a sacrifice - a soul for a soul. But the Mad Titan never loved anything or anyone other than himself. So the universe gave him the Soul Stone, yes, but it also brought back Gamora along with a soul that had he both hated and who had a possibility of stopping him. Namely, me.” 

“Thor said you died. We thought it was fake like the last times.”

Loki blinks a couple times. “Contrary to popular belief, I have never faked my death. I just keep not dying. Either way, I most definitely died on the Statesman. A snapped neck is not east to recover from.”

Shock and understanding flashes across Steve’s face before he reigns his expression back in. 

“One thing I don’t understand,” Tony starts, “Is why Thanos killed you. Weren’t you working for him?”

Loki purses his lips, an odd gleam in his eyes. “We had, you could say, creative differences.” 

Tony opens his mouth for a witty retort but JARVIS cuts him off. 

“Mr. Silvertongue, your brother has dislodged his healing stones.”

Loki sighs. “That’s my cue to leave.”

As the elevator doors close, Loki adds one final comment. “You should probably talk to your mage about her form - she’s going to get herself killed.”

Steve and Tony try to respond, but the elevator doors close with a clang. 

Tony turns to Steve. “What does Loki want with Wanda?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brunnhilde works on securing land from New Asgard. Loki talks with the Avengers about Asgard. Wanda gets pissed.

“Brunnhilde, I do not think that will work.” Loki picks at his hand.

“I think it has to. It’s a lot of land that we’re asking for. Asking for a lot of money is fair, if not a bit difficult.” 

Loki sighs. “See if they would be willing to trade for information or healing techniques. We los Eir but some of her apprentices made it. If necessary, I can always drape an illusion around myself and go help myself.” 

Brunnhilde purses her lips. “I’ll try my best. Please eat something by next time I talk to you, you’re running yourself pretty ragged.” She shuffles some papers and audibly picks up the phone to hang up. “Talk to you later, Lackey.” 

Loki turns off the phone. He washes his hands and redresses Thor’s wounds. He stares down at Thor, motionless and pale, then turns away.

“JARVIS, please inform me if anything changes.” 

“Will do, Mr. Silvertongue.” 

Loki closes the door behind him and takes the elevator down to the living room. After getting out of the elevator and into the common room, he is immediately bombarded by Tony Stark. 

“So, Lokes, the UN is apparently in talks with some Brunnhilde woman - which is a weird name by the way - about setting up a New Asgard for the Asgardian refugees. She claims to be the Thor’s Regent but I thought that was your job. Would you mind explaining?” 

Apparently the Norns hate Loki because Every Single Avenger is in the living room. Natasha stares at him like she’s trying to mentally peel the skin from his body, Clint is sharpening his arrows, Steve is staring at him with the patented Stare of Disapproval, Wanda sits tense in her seat, Bruce looks away from Loki, and Tony is looking smug as all Hell. 

Loki sighs. He’s doing a lot of sighing, lately. “Do you think that my going to the United Nations is a good idea? Especially for the purpose of acquiring a home for my people? No. If I want a place for the Asgardians the only way to do so is pretend that someone else is in charge of Asgard.”

“So you’re lying about who's really in charge of Asgard to the UN? That doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Steve comments. 

“It’s not a lie - she is in charge of the Asgardian people while I’m here. And she is be next in line should Thor and I die.”

Tony looks puzzled. “How exactly does line of succession work in Asgard?”

Loki nods. “It goes from the eldest male child of the Allfather to the youngest. A woman may only inherit the throne after her brothers die or abdicate, even if they are younger than her. Thor and I never thought that was a problem, that is, until it turned out that Thor’s father had imprisoned Hela, his firstborn, for our entire lives. She decimated most of our warriors, which is why the surviving population is so small. Thanos halved an already dying nation.”

Loki looks around, as if he had forgotten who he was talking to for a moment. “I apologize, I digress. After the royal line, the throne goes to the Guardian of the Bifrost. Then it goes to the head of the Asgardian military. Heimdall died on the Statesman, Hela decimated most of our warriors, and Brunnhilde is the last of the Valkyries, the throne falls to her after Thor and I.” 

Loki looks around. “Have I answered your question?” 

“Yeah,” says Tony, uncharacteristically somber. “I hope she secures a home for your people.”

Loki sighs. “We’re working on it. Honestly, Thor being injured may be a blessing in that regard.” 

Steve raises an eyebrow. “How would Thor being injured help you?” He asks incredulously. 

“Thor is notoriously bad at politics. There is a reason that the plan was always for him to be King and me to be his advisor. He has also become one of Earth’s Heroes,” Loki sounds slightly mocking as he says this. “And he is also known to be injured due to his role in stopping the Mad Titan. If Asgard is lucky, that will buy us some leverage.” 

No one moves. “Also, I was hoping to get more bandages for Thor.”

Steve gets up. “Oh, let me show you where they are.”

Loki nods and follows Steve. “Thank you, Rogers.” 

Before he leaves, he turns back around. “Mage, what is your name?”

Wanda’s already tense body tenses further. “What’s it to you?”

A smirk plays at Loki’s lips. “You really should relax. Fighting with your magic like that is going to end up killing you.” 

“I don’t know what your talking about!” Wanda’s eyes bore into Loki, as if she’s trying to read his mind. Perhaps she is. 

“Yes, you do.” Loki turns and leaves. 

(As Loki leaves, Wanda gets the sinking suspicion that yes, yes she does.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that being tortured by Thanos and then dying isn't good for your continued health and wellbeing? :))) Also, an impromptu sedir lesson between Loki and Wanda because Wanda's form is shit and it is stressing Loki out.

As with most things in his life, Loki’s problem starts with Thor. 

Well, to be clearer, this one is not actually Thor’s fault. But it feels good to blame him, so that’s what Loki does. What happens: Loki is changing Thor’s bandages the first time he collapses. 

He sits on the floor, head leaned against the wall. If he closes his eyes and ignores the hum of machinery surrounding Thor, it feels a little bit like his cell back in Asgard. He’s not sure if that’s comforting or upsetting. 

“Mr. Silvertongue,” JARVIS asks, “Would you like me to get help?” 

Loki chuckles harshly, images of Thor throwing him across the room during “get help” vivid in his mind. “No, thank you JARVIS.” 

He struggles to his feet and stares at his shaking hands. Loki had known he was badly in need of rest but had not thought it quite so bad. After all, he had exerted quite a lot of sedir in recent days without, well, doing anything whatsoever to renew his sedir. 

He knows that he should eat and he definitely needs a very long rest. But the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that still screams that Thanos is going to find him and Thanos and Thanos and THANOS AND THANOS AND THANOS makes the idea of eating seem nauseating and decidedly not worth it. 

And as with many things in Loki’s life, he’s going to see how long he can get away with it. 

 

When Loki goes common room, Wanda is sitting on one of the couches. Her face is screwed up as a pen surrounded by glowing red light rises slowly from the table. 

“Practicing?” Loki asks sardonically, leaning against the doorway. 

Wanda drops the pen. “I was,” she sighs. 

“You’re trying too hard.” 

Wanda twists around to glare at Loki. “Just because you have thousands of years of training doesn’t make you better than me.”

“I dare say it does.” 

Wanda continues glaring. 

Loki sighs. “Move over.” 

Wanda squints at him but begrudgingly slides over so Loki can have a seat. Loki sits and then makes the pen zip around the room before depositing it back on the table. Wanda doesn't notice the slight tremor of his hands. 

“Where does you sedir come from?” Loki asks Wanda. 

“The mind stone?” 

Loki winces. “That was not exactly what I meant. I meant, where in your body does your magic stem. Where do you draw it from.” 

“Don’t answer that.” Tony Stark stands at the doorway of the room. “Don’t tell him any weaknesses.”

Loki rolls his eyes. “Greetings, Stark.” 

“Hey, Reindeer Games. What exactly do you think you’re doing with Wanda?”

“Oh, nothing. Just trying to make sure she doesn’t die a young and painful death from her sedir turning on her,” Loki’s voice is a little testy. “Seeing as she, as I have mentioned, has absolutely zero training.” 

Tony searches Loki’s face. He shakes his head. “Even if I believe anything you say, which you’ve given me no reason to, I don’t like you doing anything to Wanda unsupervised.” 

“Are you offering to supervise?” 

Tony looks taken aback.

“Really, nothing I’m showing her will hurt her. If you think that you can’t trust me alone with her, feel free to stay here.”

Loki turns back to Wanda and proceeds to ignore Tony’s presence. “Okay, do not tell me where your sedir is. Just think about it. Feel it.”

Wanda stares at him like he’s grown another head. Which, I mean, he could do. But he isn’t at the moment. 

Loki sighs again. (What is it about these people that make him sigh so much?) “For example, I once had a student who felt that her sedir pooled from her throat. Whenever she needed to access it, she said it felt like honey dripping down her throat and spreading through the rest of her body. At the moment, it feels like you are shoving the sedir out of your body without any thought as to where it comes from. That is not sustainable.” 

“Oh,” Wanda says. “Okay.” She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Her eyebrows knit and the air crackles around her. But the pen doesn’t rise. 

“Why isn’t it working?” Wanda asks, upset. 

“You have been forcing your sedir incorrectly for so long that it does not understand what you’re asking it to do. Be gentle with it. Ask, do not demand. Sedir is a part of you, you do not have to force it to do what you want.” 

Tony clears his throat. “So, this was all well and good, but I actually came here to remind Wanda that it’s almost time for dinner.”

Loki shrugs and stands up, somehow doing this all in a single smooth motion. “Then I will take my leave.” 

After he leaves the room, Wanda pockets the pen and stands up. 

Tony stares off in the distance then looks at Wanda. 

“Has he eaten since he’s been here?”


End file.
